| City Vision | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Official colours | Red, Green |
| Website | |
| cityvision.org.nz | |
| Politics of New Zealand Political parties Elections |
|
City Vision is a coalition of three left-wing political parties (New Zealand Labour Party, Alliance, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand) and independent political identities who contest Auckland Council (and previously Auckland City and Auckland Regional Council) elections every triennium. They have usually caucused in affiliation with Labour Party councillors.
They were formed in 1998[1] for the purposes of contesting and challenging the Citizens and Ratepayers Association who had dominated control of the Auckland City Council since the C&R's formation in the 1930s. City Vision have traditionally held representation in the centre-west and south of Auckland City.
They were successful in gaining partial control with the appointment of their first leader Bruce Hucker as Deputy Mayor of Auckland City in the 1998-2001 Christine Fletcher Mayoral administration, but received an electoral setback in 2001 with the election of a John Banks/C&R led council.
City Vision and Labour were successful in forming a working majority in the 2004 elections (winning nine seats)[2] plus the election of Dick Hubbard to the Mayoralty, partnering with Action Hobson anti-motorway councillors to form a bloc of twelve out of twenty. This council term was marked by public discontent over rates rises and water price rises, as well as public anger over accusations of wasteful spending like overseas travel. This term was also marked by infighting inside City Vision, with leader Bruce Hucker being deposed and replaced by Labour Councillor Richard Northey (a former Labour MP).
City Vision lost the 2007 elections to a John Banks/Citizens and Ratepayers team, and were reduced to three councillors, in addition to two Labour councillors also re-elected.
Richard Northey continued as the leader of the City Vision and Labour bloc on Auckland City's council from the 2007 elections onwards.
In the 2010 elections, the first for the Auckland Council, Cathy Casey won a seat for City Vision. Winning candidates endorsed by City Vision were Mike Lee for council and Len Brown for mayor. Labour won another two council seats.